Dana White says UFC will 'probably' cut 60 fighters by end of 2020
UFC president Dana White said after UFC Fight Night on Saturday that the company is likely going to cut 60 fighters by the end of 2020. While it’s not unusual for the UFC to cut fighters at the end of the year, 60 is a larger number than normal. White called the cuts “serious” and hinted that some well-known names could be involved.
Dana says they are probably going to cut 60 fighters by the end of the year.#UFC pic.twitter.com/nhyduiqm1A
— Jed I. Goodman (@jedigoodman) December 6, 2020
"We're gonna go through some serious cuts here at the end of the year. Probably gonna have 60 cuts coming up before the first of the year. ... Our roster is very inflated right now, so we’re gonna have some big cuts coming before the end of the year. You’re gonna see a lot of names going here in the next several weeks.”
White’s comments came a day after the UFC surprisingly released Yoel Romero, a top-five middleweight contender. Romero challenged Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight title back in March, losing by unanimous decision. Despite that, White justified the decision by saying that Romero is 43 years old and has lost four of his last five fights.
Like every sports league, the UFC has been struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. While they were the first league to come back after the stoppage of all sports, the lack of crowds has cost them. White wouldn’t reveal the names of any other fighters who might be cut in the coming weeks.
"We're just literally starting to go through the list,” White said. “These are the tough decisions you've gotta make."
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